Over The Hill Gang , Old Farts with Young Cars

[69supersport396]

Hi Gang!

Originally Posted by abaucom21

Been stressed to pull myself together and file my FBAR (foreign financial accounts) e-file, deadline June 30. A few weeks ago US embassy here in Ottawa asked me to participate in a Web Seminar, I did, received a certificate for participating. This is not an IRS thing (so they say), but another layer of government documentation to document any US expat that has offshore financial accounts.

I am a US expat (US citizen living aboard), officially a card carrying permanent resident of Canada, file my USA, IRS tax forms yearly for income earned abroad. I know the drill and pay my accountant about $400 a year just to file my tax documents to the USA, IRS and never have owed taxes on earned income abroad.

Understand this new requirement by US government is to track US citizens with offshore accounts. Not just individuals but corporations. Tracking money laundering, etc. But damn, I report all my financial stuff to the IRS, but still have to file another separate complex doc. to the US.

Bottom line, after weeks of stress, taking an on-line government prep course, today was the day I was prepared to e-file to FBAR and expected to spend hours to fill out the document. Then I pulled my 2013 tax documents as I remembered I had sent all account numbers and account $ to my accountant, because that stuff was required for her to file both my Canada & USA tax documents.

Damn, I am lame. My accountant had already filed my FBAR documents on-line and I paid her to do it. Weeks of stress thinking about filing FBAR, it was already filed and I paid my account to have it filed.

I admit I am stupid when it comes to taxes etc. Not filled out my own tax documents for 30 years but pay for others do it for me.

I am so happy today, financial tax documents complete for another tax year.

Wonder at times why I keep my US citizenship. Been in Canada for more than ten years, a card carrying Permanent Resident. Canada is now my home, do not intend moving back to the US because I have job, financial security, healthcare security in Canada. Could become a Canada citizen in a nano-second. Issue is US makes it very difficult and expensive to give up citizenship. As a US expat living abroad, to retain my income earned abroad tax deferment, during a 12 month period I can only be in the US about 28 days a year. As a Canadian citizen I could spend about 6 months a year in the US. My most personal family and friends are in the US and we are getting older. I worry what if my brother or a good friend in the US needs me to help them. Not an issue if I needed to take a year leave of absence form my teaching position. However, if I retain my US citizenship I currently can only be in the US for 28 days. If I extend my stay, the IRS will hit me up for a third of my income and Canada already hits me up for about 40% of my income. Bottom line I could spend more time with family and friends in the US if I changed citizenship to Canada. Have not done it yet because US makes it both difficult and expensive to change citizenship.

Sorry to go on and on.

I have a buddy that spends about 6 months here in AZ and about 6 months in Canada. I believe is was born in Canada. He has to closely watch how long he stays down here.

Originally Posted by skipinminn

RIck I'd make the Payments the same way they have worked on your Pool. I'll pay you tomorrow! Of course No money shows up. "O" I guess I didn't send it. Maybe next week I'll send you a Payment. "MAYBE" !! Then Make your payments in Peso's <<<< LOL

We pay as we go along. They did quite a lot today, and I'll post pics later.

Originally Posted by Norm Peterson

44th anniversary today.


Norm

Happy anniversary!

Originally Posted by RubyCamaro

Congrats Norm!

Good Friiiiiiiiiiiiiiday Morning. I really need me some weekend. Or a new job. Maybe just a new life. That is the kind of mood I have been in lately. I spent a little time on line last evening looking around at jobs adds. That is a frustrating proposition. At this point the only thing keeping me at my job is inertia. it is just to hard to change jobs. I keep thinking about this thing I saw on Facebook that said "I have wanted to run away more as an adult than I ever did as a child". True that. Anyway. HAGD all.

If I didn't work at home every day, I would have changed jobs by now. I'm willing to overlook lots of BS, but that does not mean I don't talk about it.

We have a completed deck now! It looks very nice. Photos later tonight.

[RubyCamaro]

Looking forward to seeing the deck pics.

It was a very slow day today. Geez & wish I could get folks showing up consistently in Springfield. Only 2 showed up today. So, I left a little early & got a hair cut. I finally had enough hair grown out to go get the mess the last hair "stylist" made of my hair cut. It could have used a little more length to work with but it was getting hard to manage. It is much better. I still need to go get a shower to wash off all the bits of hair but need to wait on the water heater to recoop some after Mike's shower. I am so glad to have a weekend! I plan to sleep in in the morning. I feel bad that I will miss a Birthday party for my friend/supervisor but I have to choose between that & things that need to get done at home and going to visit & check on my dad. Sorry but Dad trumps friend. Have a good weekend.

[69supersport396]

Kool Deck is done.

[RubyCamaro]

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!

[RubyCamaro]

Good Saturday morning on the longest day of the year. We have a full day of work planned today. Washing Pepper & Daddy's Girl, & power washing the driveway & house. It is a good thing that it is water-related work as it will be in the mid to upper 90's & due point around 70 = oppressive heat/humidity. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

[zandron263]

Happy belated anniversary Norm. I hope things get better at work Jan I agree that it hard to change jobs when you have been there a long time. Pool deck looks good Rick you will love it when it's all done. I am on a weekend camping trip to Cleveland it will be the last time I use the trailer before I take it on vacation to Nashville in a couple of weeks.

I need to do a little work on it so I can be ready like fix some loose trim and repack the wheel bearings. My wife has already bought some Opry tickets and I am sure she will have some other plans as well. Work is picking up and its only going to get worse as I will need to train my new boss in about a week. I am the longest tenured person there so I have all of the "tribal" knowledge she will need to learn. Training someone always slows my work down and then one of the other guys is going to take around 6 weeks of FMLA when his wife has their first child in a few weeks. That is going to leave us short staffed for most of the summer. Have a good weekend all.

[RubyCamaro]

We will have to try to get together when you are here Zandron if you can find the time.

[zandron263]

We can definitely get together at some point I am sure we will have plenty of down time. My wife likes to have that on vacations.

[69supersport396]

So far I've washed the Dakota and ran it through our state smog test. First year they did not fail my gas cap! Good for another 2 years.

Claire got sick last night and did not sleep well. She's had a rough year weeks.

[69supersport396]

Hope you guys can meet up in Nashville.

[RubyCamaro]

Well we got most of the planned list of jobs accomplished. The biggest one - The house got power washed. Dang, for such a toy house when you wash it, it seems really big! We also power washed 3 adirondack chairs, a ladder back chair, a rocking chair, a porch swing, the fire pit bricks & 2 small tables and the driveway under the carport & a little beyond it. I pruned my rose bushes & washed Pepper too. Mike's Camaro did not get washed as planned. Even on the longest day of the year, the daylight only lasts so long. We only took 2 short breaks. One while there was a brief downpour we waited out under the carport sitting on milk crates. The other when Mike cooked us some hamburgers on the grill. I washed Pepper's wheels while he cooked, stopped & ate then finished washing Pepper. I AM SPENT! That is all. Good night.

[69supersport396]

I ended up pulling the garage queens outside. Even drove them, but not at the same time.

[RubyCamaro]

Great pics of great cars! Sounds like a good day to me.

Good morning. It is going to be another steamy day in Tennessee. Maybe a passing shower will cool things down like yesterday. I'm headed out to check on my dad today. I hope he is fully re-cooperated. I am interested to see how this hospital stay has impacted his mental state. Mike wants to get his Camaro washed today when we get back. Then we will be ready for next week's Car show benefitting our beloved brave military personnel & their families. We are hoping for an epic turnout. Have a great Sunday crew.

[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by RubyCamaro

Congrats Norm!

Originally Posted by Normagene

Congrats! 44 Years! Holy Cow.

Just realized you sent me a msg, thanks for the driving info! Much appreciated.
Lobster Hut! Love that Fishermans Platter for two. Delicious. But since I'm not a true New Englander, I order "clam strips" not whole Bellies" which true New Englanders find insulting. LOL

Originally Posted by 69supersport396

Happy anniversary!

Originally Posted by zandron263

Happy belated anniversary Norm.

Thanks, all. It was 46 years ago today that my wife and I went out on our first date.


Jan - I hope your overall job situation turns around a little. Wish I could offer something a little more useful though.

Normagene - we stayed at the Radisson for two nights, 4th floor with a (partial) harbor view of course. The view, and not having to drive down to the waterfront to do anything and go through the nightmare of finding a parking place is worth it, plus the road construction that's going on down there. The Lobster Hut and the Shanty Rose are "must" stops. And we found a couple of new (to us, anyway) places to eat. Luigi's for breakfast, and the Cabby Shack. I think it was yesterday morning that a dark colored and slightly noisy 5th gen went rumbling by Luigi's as we were eating breakfast, but I couldn't catch quickly enough whether it was a ZL1 or not.

69Supersport396 - it's nice to see progress on your pool area. When does the water get turned on?

zandron - don't worry about 'belated'. I'm a little belated here myself.


We worked a little family business into our trip - I'm the executor for my Dad's estate, and we got to meet the youngest member of the clan (shown being held by her Daddy, who is my sister's youngest).


Norm